California Lawmakers Unanimously Pass Historic Privacy Bill

California lawmakers unanimously passed a new privacy bill on Thursday that would give residents of the state more control over the information businesses collect on them and impose new penalties on businesses that don’t comply. It is the first law of its kind in the United States.

The new legislation gives Californians the right to see what information businesses collect on them, request that it be deleted, get access to information on the types of companies their data has been sold to, and direct businesses to stop selling that information to third parties.

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (AB 375) was introduced late last week by state assembly member Ed Chau and state senator Robert Hertzberg, in a rush to defeat a stricter privacy-focused ballot initiative that had garnered more than 600,000 signatures from Californians.

The law goes into effect on January 1, 2020. The Internet Association has already hinted at efforts to modify the legislation before implementation.

Originally via Wired

California lawmakers unanimously passed a new privacy bill on Thursday that would give residents of the state more control over the information businesses collect on them and impose new penalties on businesses that don’t comply.